Invalid-chair



R. WITHERELL. INVALID CHAIR.

No. 17,008. Patented Apr. 7;, 1857.

UNITED STATES; PATENT orFicE.

RANSQM 'WITHERELL OF HITNTINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IivvALrD-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,008, dated April 7, 1857.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RANSOM. WITHERELL, of Huntington, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Invalid-Chair; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part fof this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improvement, the plane of section being through the center. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

My invent-ion consists in having a frame pivoted to the sides of the chair seat, which is stationary, said frame being so constructed as to form the back of thechair and the foot rest. The frame is balanced and a section or portion at each end is jointed to the main portion, `and the whole so arranged that the frame may be slightly inclined so that a person may sit in an easy and natural position, or the frame may be brought up to a horizontal position so as to form a couch or bed or it may be inclined at any intermediate point between a slightly inclined and horizontal position. The frame in consequence of being balanced may be actuated solely by the movement of the body.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a pedestal or post which is attached to a proper base B, and C represents the chair seat which is secured to the upper end of the pedestal or post. The seat C is provided with arms (a) (a) one ateach side. A

To each side of the seat C, a bar D is pivoted. The two bars D, D, are connected at their outer ends by cross-bars or rounds (b), (b.) To one end of the bars D, two shorter bars E, E, are connected by a round bar (c), said bar (c) having a jointed connection. The outer ends of the bars E are connected by a crosspiece F. The bars E, E, may be turned up at right-angles with the bars D, and may be turned down nearly in line with the bars D, the inner ends-of the bars E leaning against the round all the ends of the bars D, said round upward and also turned down nearly in line with the bars D, D, the inner ends of the bars G leaning against the round of the bars D, said round serving as a step.

H represents a catch which is secured in the pedestal or post A by a pin (d) the catch being allowed to work on the pin. This catch fits over the round (b) of the bars D, D, when said bars are in the position as shown in red Fig. 1, the catch retaining or holding the bars in said position. )Vhen the bars D, D, are in this slightly inclined position as shown in red, the occupant will set in a natural and easy position, the bars E, E, and cross piece F, forming the back of the chair, and 'the bars G with their rounds (0) forming a foot. rest. The occupant by releasing t-he round (6') from the catch H by meansof the foot will liberate the bars D. and allow them to work or vibrate on their pivots and consequently the back of the chair may be inclined or moved to any angle and may be placed in a perfectly horizontal position as shown in black, Figs. 1 and 2, so as to form a bed or couch. The` bars D, D, are perfectly balanced on their pivots and consequently no exertion is required t-o move or adjust the bars D. The simple movement of the body of t-he occupant being sufficient, and as the back of the occupant rests against the bars E and cross piece F, and the feet against the bars G or the rounds (6) thereof, the back and foot rest requires no device for securing them at any point, for one cannot move without the other, and both are entirely under the control of the occupant as the seat C is stationary and independent of the parts. The back and foot rest therefore will move only at the will of the occupant. Thus it will be seen that the occupant may incline his person in any desired position from nearly a vertical to a horizontal position. The bars D, D, when in a horizontal position bear against stops at each side of the seat.

The invention will be a great acquisition to invalids, and others desiring an easy and adjustable chair and one that may be used both as a seat and a couch.

I am aware that manychairs have been devised with adjustable backs but they have been arranged in quite a complicated way, provided with springs, extension levers, and various devices, and they have not been generally adopted in consequence of the expense attending their construction. My improvement may be cheaply constructed, and there are no parts liable to get out of repair.

I wouldvremark that small chairs for children may be constructed on my improved plan and when the bars D, are placed or turned in a horizontal position, and the bars E, E, G, G, turned up, a crib will be obtained.

I do not claim a chair provided with a swinging back and foot rest, irrespective of the inode of construction and arrangement herein shown, for chairs thus constructed have been previously invented.

What I claim, therefore, as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

Attaching the bars E, E, to one end of the bars D, D, by a oint, and attaching the bars Gr, G, in a similar manner to the opposite ends of t-he bars D, D, the bars E, E, with their cross piece forming the back of the chair, and the bars Gr, Gr, with their rounds the foot rest, the bars D, D, being pivoted to opposite sides of the stationary chair seat C and perfectly balanced on their pivots, the whole being arranged as shown for the purpose specified.

RANSOM WITHERELL. Witnesses L. B. VILLIAMS, DANIEL FRY. 

